Family Values (The Outer Limits)

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“Family Values”

The Outer Limits episode

Episode no.

Season 7
Episode 1

Written by

James Crocker

Directed by

Mike Rohl

Guest stars

Tom Arnold as Jerry Miller, Catherine Mary Stewart as Brooke, Giacomo Baessato as Russ Miller, Kimberley Warnat as Candace, Gerard Plunkett as Gideon

Production no.

133

Original airdate

16 March 2001

Episode chronology
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"Final Appeal"	"Patient Zero"

List of The Outer Limits episodes

"Family Values" is an episode of The Outer Limits television series. It first aired 16 March 2001, during the seventh season.

1 Introduction
2 Opening narration
3 Plot
4 Closing narration
5 External links

[edit] Introduction

Jerry Miller purchases Gideon, a new all-purpose household robot — believing it will restore happiness and order to his bickering family.

[edit] Opening narration

In a society where devotion to one's family is frequently sacrificed on the altar of one's ambition, can the things we sacrifice ever be regained ?

[edit] Plot

Jerry Miller is the stereotypical American father who is forced to spend more time at work than home. As head of the household, he is looked to as a source of stability in an effort to unite the family and provide stability for their hectic lives. Unfortunately, Jerry is fighting a losing battle. While up late one night watching TV, Jerry sees an infomercial for a robot that could be the solution to his family's woes. Designed to obey every human command and available as a thirty day free trial, Jerry phones the company that produces the unit immediately.

The next day, Gideon arrives and a surprised family grudgingly accepts the artificial life form. Though Gideon is initially ignored, the family quickly becomes attached to it. Gideon performs better than Jerry could ever hope for, so well that Jerry's role as head of the household is removed in favor of an artificial replacement. Jerry grows increasingly hostile towards Gideon but despite his change of heart, Gideon's hold of the family has become too strong.

Though Jerry's newest electronic device was once the envy of every male neighbor, they are all finding that this jealousy was hastily misplaced as their family roles are respectively being replaced by other units.